A Time For Us: An AkuNami Story
by gttorres
Summary: An AkuNami story filled with romance, drama, action, and humor. Set in an alternate future where the Organization has been revived and split into 2 warring factions and Sora and his allies fight to stop them, Axel and Namine must struggle to stay together
1. The Arrival

**A Time For Us: An AkuNami Story**

_Time is too slow for those who wait,_

_too swift for those who fear,_

_too long for those who grieve,_

_too short for those who rejoice,_

_but for those who love,_

_time is eternity._

Henry Van Dyke

* * *

><p>Sunset Hills. Twilight. Another day drawing to an end.<p>

Namine gazed deeply out into the sky as she watched the sun's fiery shape slip behind some clouds. The sunlight made her sapphire eyes sparkle as if they were sapphires themselves.

There was a rustle in the breeze that caught her ears, stimulating her dainty head to perk as she turned her eyes towards the open and empty lot beside her. But a few seconds passed before she sighed to herself in disappointment and reeturned her watchful gaze to the setting sun.

_Where is he?_ she wondered in silence.

They agreed that they'd meet each other here every afternoon once they'd done what each of them had to do for that day. Of course, it was not like Namine had anything she needed to do...after all, what else was there that she was needed for? She'd completed her task ages ago. On the other hand, Namine knew there was still some unfinished business that _he_ wanted to settle. That is, if he found a way he culd meet those ends meet.

_I want to see him again._ He told her. _Just one more time, to give the goodbye I never really gave him._

Namine had never seen him so desperate before, but that was the only thing raging inside his own mind. She saw the way the urgency of this task of his manifested in him; more than once she saw him crumple his perfect face in his gloved hands in what looked like agony, tighten his hands into fists and pound them against a wall in frustration, and the way he'd tirelessly keep himself up at night, waiting for the morning to come, so that he'd start searching again.

Having watched him in this routine for some time now, Namine couldn't help but feel sorry for the man who was once her enemy.

The man-no, the boy-who had once taken part in imprisoning her, in intimidating her, in threatening her, and ultimately, in setting her free, was nothing but a helpless and desperate soul with nothing left to hold on to but an existence that he wasn't meant to have, time that was slowly ticking away each time more of his energy was spent on this arduous task, and the hope that he could have just one more chance to say farewell to the friend who made him feel like he was someone worthwhile.

Yet, Namine wondered to herself whether or not he knew that he also had her, as insignificant and lowly as she was, to help him make it through what really was his darkest hour?

A soft rumble surged nearby. Namine looked over her shoulder. Wispy shreds of darkness and thorns emerged from the ground and grew in size.

A foot stepped out of the darkness. Out stepped another. And then, finally, a body.

The dark portal faded as Namine gazed stilly at the arrival of a young man in a long black coat, fiery red hair, and the most riveting green eyes she'd ever seen.

He looked back at her with his familiar gaze-a gaze that was dark and fierce but at the same time, calm, hospitable, and entrancing. As Namine looked deeply into them (for how could she not, the weight of his captivating gaze was so immense), she noticed something that wasn't there before.

She thought she'd saw a twinkle in his eye-one that came through only one means-tears.

"Hey..." she whispered, in her usual gentle, quiet tone. "Did you...?"

He shook his head. And from his lips, he gave her only two words.

"It's over."


	2. Anomalies

Far away, in the Mysterious Tower, sitting on his tall chair behind his wooden desk, the elderly Yen Sid closed his eyes and began to scratch his beard.

Not too far away from the old wizard, clad in a black leather coat with a hood that concealed most of his face, stood the small but mighty King Mickey. He'd arrived at his old master's home not too long ago and had just begun to report on the quest he was currently undertaking when, out of the blue, he and the elderly wizard found themselves caught off-guard by the most untimely interruption.

A mysterious visitor had arrived, appearing from out of a burst of dark mist. He was clothed from bottom to top in red and black, and his head and face was completely covered in red bandages, save for where a right scarlet eye and his mouth were located.

The King jumped back in surprise. Perhaps this man was also an agent of the darkness, thought he. The King frowned. Without any hesitation, he summoned his Keyblade, readying himself to defend his former master. But Yen Sid held out his hand before the King, telling him to lower his weapon.

"I have encountered this man before," Yen Sid explained. "Rest assured, this man is not an enemy of ours."

Mickey put his Keyblade aside, his eyes still cautiously glued onto Yen Sid's visitor. His heart's suspicions still had not been set to ease. Until he found that this man could be trusted, he would keep a close watch on him.

"Master Yen Sid," the man began.

Mickey's shifty gaze at the man faded as his eyes soon grew wide with shock.

"That voice," the King muttered quietly to himself. "I feel like I've heard it before!"

Unaware of the astonishment that was grappling Mickey, Yen Sid nodded at the man in red. "It's been a while since we last crossed paths," said Yen Sid. "Tell me, what do come here for? What is it that you seek this time?"

"I seek nothing more important right now than the success of the Keyblade Master's struggle against the villainous minds of Organization XIII," said the man.

Yen Sid crossed his arms. "By your words, O Mysterious One, I surmise that you wish to offer aid to the Keyblade Master, Sora."

The man nodded. "Yes," he answered, "if you consider what I'm about to tell you to be of help to him in any way, if he encounters it."

"What is it that you wish to tell me?" asked Yen Sid

"Nothing but a mere warning that will surely save young Sora from getting himself into more trouble than he can handle at the present time. I bring you grave news, Master Yen Sid. I have spent countless years traversing the paths of darkness and nothingness long enough to become familiar with its nature. I too know that you as well are familiar with the ways of the Corridors of Darkness and Betwixt and Between.

But hear this, I have walked along those paths recently and have been most seriously concerned and troubled by what I have seen. It is a most worrisome sight: there are rifts of space composed neither of darkness, nothingness, or light that are opening up from within the paths of Betwixt and Between, appearing like rips within the air. These I rifts of pure space I tell you about. And more than once I have seen a Nobody or Heartless dare to approach those dark rifts and disappear into them, only to be reduced to be destroyed in the attempt."

Yen Sid's eyes grew wide with awe. "This is grave news that you bring me," said Yen Sid slowly. "Rifts of pure space within Betwixt and Between…" he shook his head.

"What?" asked the King, eyes brimming with worry. "What are you and this man talking about, Master Yen Sid? What's the meaning of these rifts of space you talk about?"

The man turned to face the King. "It appears, King Mickey, that you are not familiar with this anomaly we speak of."

The King jumped in surprise. "How do you know my name?" he asked. "Who are you?"

The man ignored him. "What Master Yen Sid and I speak of," he said, "is a phenomenon unique to Betwixt and Between. The paths of Betwixt and Between are paths of darkness, and are thus constructed by the darkness. However, what I have seen are rips within the space of Betwixt and Between. Such sightings are indications that someone or something is excessively using the paths of space, not the paths of light or darkness, as a means of travel."

"Gosh," said Mickey. "This is unheard of, this traveling through the paths of pure space."

"Indeed, Mickey," said Yen Sid. "Such a means of travel is not something you would hear of because it has become the norm that it is foolish to travel through pure space because of the dangers it entails and the consequences that come from traversing through pure space. The rifts of space that our visitor here has seen are the effects of an excessive use of the paths of pure space as a means of travel."

"My knowledge of this phenomenon spurned me to come to you and warn you about them, especially if Sora encounters one crossing his path. A weak Nobodies or Heartless can never survive an attempt to step into that tear in space, but a person with a strong will is more likely to succeed in stepping into those tears of space, though the consequences of doing so are unimaginable."

"But, why?" asked the King in a small voice. "What happens if you step into a rift of space?"

The mysterious man ignored him. "I must go, Master Yen Sid. I must find a way to warn Sora of these rifts of space. He must not enter one of them."

A surge of darkness appeared around the man, engulfing him. Within seconds, the darkness faded away, and the man was gone without another word.

"Master Yen Sid!" said Mickey, his voice desperate, "What happens if one enters a rift of pure space? I have to know!"

Yen Sid closed his eyes. "Simply speaking, my friend, should you enter the uncharted paths of pure space and traverse through them, what you will find is that your present will become your past or future, and your past or future will become your present."


End file.
